Rune
Rune, a smaller black-furred mole with shiny black eyes and white sharp teeth. He has scarred shoulders and a lithe body. History Duncton Wood Born in the WestsideRevealed in Duncton Wood, page 16, Rune became an elder, among the six others. In this, he had moved his home closer to Barrow Vale. He is portrayed as a menacing and clever kind of character; he is said to know when owls were hungry or where disease was to be found. A sensitive mole, he is tuned to disaster, knowing when bad weather might come or when a tree might fall. Nomole liked to fight him, nomole ever came forward who ever saw him kill. Each mating time, he kills for his mates. When Mandrake had first come to Duncton Wood, Rune welcomed him and agreed well with his wish to end the superstition of the Stone (and would kill any mole who would try to make the trek to it). Though Rune, as clever as he is, saw Mandrake's threat as a demonstration of power rather than persuasion. With Mandrake's strength, he plotted to take over the system. When it was decided, Rune and Mandrake still allowed Hulver to make the journeys to the Stone. When he had gone to say the Midsummer Blessing, Rune watched from a distance. In this time, he planned to kill him, to which he had not. As Mandrake's daughter, Rebecca would grow, Rune would deviously flirt with her in some 'sick sensuality based on the fact she was Mandrake's daughter'. He knew that if he had her, he would become equal to Mandrake in some sense. As Mandrake declared he would kill any mole that would try to mate her that Spring, Rune obeyed his orders, whispering under his breath, "I'll have her yet." Rune first meets Bracken and leads him away - he felt as he spoke to him that he would be doing Burrhead a favour of killing him, but he had no intentions of committing the act. In that time, Rune's wish to kill Hulver came closer to his mind. Mandrake, Rune, Burrhead, Mekkins and Dogwood scoured the land around the Stone for Hulver, on a mission to end his life. As Bindle had tried to help, Rune and the others had killed the two elders. Afterward, they went on to do the same to Bracken, but he had escaped; it was then that Rune explained that he should have killed him when he met him, there and then. Rune continues to flirt with Rebecca and at one point, her body begins to succumb to him. Just when he thought he had her right he wanted her, a henchmole appears, calling for him to go to Mandrake. Before he leaves, he taunts her that she would be his. When Rue is summoned, Rune is highly suspect of her. Mandrake, Rune and Rue go to Hulver's burrow, which through it, had an entrance to the Ancient Tunnels. When they see the enormous face of the owl in the Chamber of Dark Sound, Rune showed almost no response, 'a momentary look of surprise, an instinctive clawing of talons'. After, he looked into it with awe and shivered with sensuality that was far more exciting than any he felt with Rebecca: 'He was surrendering his will to what, for him, was the only reality of life, its dark and arcane side where a mole might learn to agonise the souls of others by wielding the same black power that seemed to lie behind the shining flint eyes of the owl.' After the deciphering of the owl face, they set of to leave, with Rune questioning Mandrake if he should have Rue killed, but Mandrake had asked him what the point was of doing so. When Cairn and Rebecca had mated, Rune interfered and fought with Cairn over Rebecca. The two were evenly matched as Cairn fought with his brother in practice, and Rune altogether was a powerful mole. Duncton Quest References and Citations Category:Males Category:Characters from Duncton Wood Category:Westsiders